Deafness not something to laugh at

7/23/2002 - ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) -- Within days of the release of "Black Hawk Down," the movie by director Ridley Scott, people across America were talking about it and how it was the most accurate portrayal of battle scenes yet produced by Hollywood. The gritty reality of the movie with the feel of being inside the battle drew many people to the theater to see for themselves what might have actually happened on that day in 1993 in Mogadishu.

The events were based on reality. The reality was stark. Eighteen dead Americans, 500 dead Somalis, numerous Americans wounded, one briefly held captive. I went to see the movie, knowing that it would be moving and evoke strong emotions, as young American men were placed in a situation that would ultimately be a fight for their lives.

One particular scene stayed with me weeks after seeing the movie. Two young men are hunkered down behind barricades, trying to defend a perimeter point. They are armed with M-16s and are engaged in taking and returning fire. One soldier, crouched next his buddy, instructs him not to "shoot that thing right beside me, I'm half-deaf as it is." After another burst of incoming fire, the buddy returns fire, with the M-16 barrel just inches from the head of the first soldier.

At a break in the firing, the second soldier asks a question to the first...the first soldier looks at him and indicates that he can't hear anything. The expression on his face is puzzlement; he can't hear what is being said to him as he has suffered severe acoustic trauma from the estimated 160 decibel peak pressure of noise from the M-16. The audience around me laughed at his confusion. I cringed.

Throughout the remaining scenes in the movie, the young soldier who sustained a significant, and likely permanent, hearing loss becomes the comic relief of the movie. His buddies try to pantomime instructions to him, he is unable to hear himself talk, and risks exposing the soldiers' position by yelling to his comrades. His confusion and frustration at suddenly becoming essentially deaf is heartbreaking, and could have cost him his life.

For several days after watching the movie I wondered, how would the audience have reacted had the soldier been suddenly blinded by an accident? Would they have laughed as they watched him stumble and grope to his destination? I think not. I think he would have had the sympathy of the audience, and they would have hoped for his safe extraction.

Because hearing loss is hidden, essentially unrecognized by others, it is not realized by most that it remains one of the largest chronic health problems for Americans. Since hearing is such a part of our daily experience, it is taken for granted until it is lost. Yet hearing is what links us to our family, our friends, our environment, our pagers, our cellphones, our microwaves, our music, our work, our fun. I think you get my point. Hearing is what ties us into our world, our interests and our relationships.

Ear damage from noise exposure is the second leading cause of hearing loss in America. The No. 1 cause is natural aging. We can't do anything about the aging process of our bodies, but we can do something about noise exposure and limit the effect that noise has on our hearing. Noise exposure is pervasive in our society, starting with many common toys that emit sounds louder than the 85 decibels exposure limit recommended by the National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health.

In other words, we don't allow workers to be exposed to sounds louder than 85 decibels without the use of ear protection, yet many everyday sounds such as leaf blowers, snowmobiles, power tools and popular children's toys have been found to emit sounds up to 135 decibels.

The wounded depicted in the movie "Black Hawk Down" were numerous. But uncounted, and essentially unnoticed, were the soldiers and Marines who suffered permanent, noise-induced hearing loss that will affect the quality of their lives for the rest of their lives.

Take your hearing ability seriously and don't allow yourself to become the butt of the joke because of a disability that is unseen. Turn down the noise, put on ear protection when engaged in noisy hobbies or work, and think about the toys you buy for your children and grandchildren and the potential harm that they may be cause to their hearing.

We each get only one set of ears. Protect them so they work well as long as you need them, and you'll need them forever. It's really not funny.